Economics of reloading ammo(e)

[El Guero]

Sounds like he has been loading with H110 too, I don't think you can go much slower burning in 357.

Which is a bummer, as I want one of the revolver caliber carbines but they don't appear to be all that accurate.

[HardCase]

Originally Posted by El Guero

Sounds like he has been loading with H110 too, I don't think you can go much slower burning in 357.

Which is a bummer, as I want one of the revolver caliber carbines but they don't appear to be all that accurate.

While I don't have empirical data to support this, my 'sense' is that I got somewhat better results shooting a 44 Mag out of a bolt-action rifle/carbine than results with various 357 caliber rifles seem to demonstrate. And I know that I get even better results with the 500 S&W Magnum round out of an H&R HandiRifle than I did with the 357 in the Marlin. I'm not sure why this is. Rifle variables or something inherent in the cartridge? I remember that a number of years back Ruger chambered their excellent No. 1 single-shot in 357 Magnum. I wonder how well those shoot? I've had excellent results wiht the No.1 in rifle calibers (7mm Remington Mag, 270, 375H&H and 9.3x74R).

[El Guero]

I just generally assume that it has something to do with bullet design. Probably 99% of bullets fired through a 357 rifle were designed to be shot from a revolver within 50 yards. At a minimum I imagine that the increased velocity would affect the accuracy of even the most thoughtfully designed pistol bullet. I'd like to see people shoot more with the Hornady pointed bullets to see if that helped at all.

[pilot]

Originally Posted by El Guero

I just generally assume that it has something to do with bullet design. Probably 99% of bullets fired through a 357 rifle were designed to be shot from a revolver within 50 yards. At a minimum I imagine that the increased velocity would affect the accuracy of even the most thoughtfully designed pistol bullet. I'd like to see people shoot more with the Hornady pointed bullets to see if that helped at all.

That is possible, but people use 357 pistol bullets in the 35 Remington rifle with good results.

[El Guero]

Originally Posted by pilot

That is possible, but people use 357 pistol bullets in the 35 Remington rifle with good results.

At .35 Remington velocities? I guess it could work, I really don't know anything about bullet design

[VegasKLRider]

Originally Posted by El Guero

At .35 Remington velocities? I guess it could work, I really don't know anything about bullet design

I have loaded practice rounds for my .35 Whelen using 158gr XTP's, but I limit velocity to less than 2000fps. Not super accurate, but not too bad.

[Manuel Garcia O'Kely]

Question for you loading Gurus - when buying new equipment, is it a good idea to stick with the same brand for the major components - like press, dies and shell holders, or can you mix and match?

I did not get a straight answer from my local gun dealer and of course the Lyman reloading book suggests - Lyman. Not that I'm adverse to buying their stuff, but it's mostly mail order whereas I can get RCBS stuff at the local store.

Another question regarding die setup - once a die is adjusted in the press, it looks like there's a locking collar - I assume this allows you to reset the die at the proper location each time you reuse it? That would seem to obviate the need for a turret style press for most reloading purposes, correct?

Although there's no loading materials out there so I'm not sure this goes anywhere.

Thanks.

[Andyinhilo]

Originally Posted by Manuel Garcia O'Kely

Question for you loading Gurus - when buying new equipment, is it a good idea to stick with the same brand for the major components - like press, dies and shell holders, or can you mix and match?

I did not get a straight answer from my local gun dealer and of course the Lyman reloading book suggests - Lyman. Not that I'm adverse to buying their stuff, but it's mostly mail order whereas I can get RCBS stuff at the local store.

Another question regarding die setup - once a die is adjusted in the press, it looks like there's a locking collar - I assume this allows you to reset the die at the proper location each time you reuse it? That would seem to obviate the need for a turret style press for most reloading purposes, correct?

Although there's no loading materials out there so I'm not sure this goes anywhere.

Thanks.

All of the stuff for standard presses (pretty much everything but some progressives like the Dillon Square Deal and the Star) use the same dies and shell holders. That means you can use whichever you like. I prefer Lee dies, and their presses if you are going single stage. The dies are a bit cheaper than the others, and I like the O-ring equipped locking nuts. As you surmise, these are so you can reset the dies in the same position each use. The Lee lock nuts are a bit easier to use IMHO. Some Lee dies also come with shell holders as well.

I like a single stage press for rifle stuff, and a progressive for straight wall pistol loads.

[PunkinHead]

Originally Posted by Manuel Garcia O'Kely

Question for you loading Gurus - when buying new equipment, is it a good idea to stick with the same brand for the major components - like press, dies and shell holders, or can you mix and match?

No problem mixing and matching. I have a hodgepodge of Lee & RCBS.

Another question regarding die setup - once a die is adjusted in the press, it looks like there's a locking collar - I assume this allows you to reset the die at the proper location each time you reuse it?

In theory. In practice (for me at least) die setup is so fast it doesn't matter.

That would seem to obviate the need for a turret style press for most reloading purposes, correct?

Maybe share a bit about your plans. Rifle? Pistol? Reloading a ton? Reloading lower quantities but focused on accuracy? Something in between?

[Manuel Garcia O'Kely]

Well, not having loaded before. My initial goal is to save some bucks on shooting ammo - certainly would load for my .40 S&W, maybe my 9MM. I suppose that this could be 300 rounds a week between the two if I had the materials.

For rifle, I'd like to load for my .30-30 just for plinking ammo, and might want to load lower power loads for a .30-06 - the hunting loads hurt too much for fun shooting.

Future goal is to get a target rifle in .308, but that may be down the road.

I imagine that I would probably want to start to use cast bullets to save additional bucks, and would consider doing my own casting at some point.

All of this is tempered by the fact that no loading materials are available....

[pilot]

Originally Posted by Manuel Garcia O'Kely

All of this is tempered by the fact that no loading materials are available....

You can start picking up tools while you wait for components. If you want to cast, go to http://castboolits.gunloads.com/forum.php and do some reading.

[Motor31]

Originally Posted by Manuel Garcia O'Kely

Question for you loading Gurus - when buying new equipment, is it a good idea to stick with the same brand for the major components - like press, dies and shell holders, or can you mix and match?

I did not get a straight answer from my local gun dealer and of course the Lyman reloading book suggests - Lyman. Not that I'm adverse to buying their stuff, but it's mostly mail order whereas I can get RCBS stuff at the local store.

Another question regarding die setup - once a die is adjusted in the press, it looks like there's a locking collar - I assume this allows you to reset the die at the proper location each time you reuse it? That would seem to obviate the need for a turret style press for most reloading purposes, correct?

Although there's no loading materials out there so I'm not sure this goes anywhere.

Thanks.

I have a mix of various brands of equipment. The only real place you could get into trouble is if you buy a press that requires a proprietary locking style. As long as you use a press that has the universal thread style you can use just about any die you want. I have them from RCBS, LEE and even Herters form the 70's all working fine in a Dillon progressive (450) and RCBS press.

Some of my dies are set and locked down, like the 9mm, 45, 40S&W since I don't change the loads. The case stays the same size, assuming you trim properly when needed. The only time you might need to reset the die is changing bullets size / weight / design and can require resetting the die. Same for switching from 38 to 357 or 44 special to 44 mag since the cases are different lengths.

Note that if you load cast lead slugs and they have a heavy lube on them you can get a build up of lube on the seating die that can change the seating depth if you do not pay attention.

[Manuel Garcia O'Kely]

Originally Posted by Motor31

I have a mix of various brands of equipment. The only real place you could get into trouble is if you buy a press that requires a proprietary locking style.

SNIP

Note that if you load cast lead slugs and they have a heavy lube on them you can get a build up of lube on the seating die that can change the seating depth if you do not pay attention.

I've seen one Mfg, I think Orange in color, has a quick change bushing design, but they look like they are the only ones with that special item. It looks like the bushing holds the standard dies.

Thanks for the reminder on lead lube - that would be a lousy lesson to learn on the 9 or .40 given how small those cases are.

Looking at the hardware required to do the job, I'm thinking a Lyman set including the case trimmer looks like a pretty good setup to start with - they seem to be the only kits with a case trimmer standard. I know there's a pack of stuff that has to be added to that, shell holders, die sets, caliper and priming system...

Without shopping for all of the hardware items individually, is there anyone who averages lower prices than Midway?

[_cy_]

with skyrocketing prices for ammo ... .223 used to be one would do special loads for more accuracy or different weight bullets to justify hassles of reloading .223 .. not to save $$$.

now days it's common to pay $1 per round for .223 ... making it economically desirable to reload even .223.

good thing I'm covered with reloading components ... have not purchased or sold anything since this scare started...

[Andyinhilo]

Originally Posted by Manuel Garcia O'Kely

I've seen one Mfg, I think Orange in color, has a quick change bushing design, but they look like they are the only ones with that special item. It looks like the bushing holds the standard dies.

Thanks for the reminder on lead lube - that would be a lousy lesson to learn on the 9 or .40 given how small those cases are.

Looking at the hardware required to do the job, I'm thinking a Lyman set including the case trimmer looks like a pretty good setup to start with - they seem to be the only kits with a case trimmer standard. I know there's a pack of stuff that has to be added to that, shell holders, die sets, caliper and priming system...

Without shopping for all of the hardware items individually, is there anyone who averages lower prices than Midway?

Orange color stuff is usually Lyman. You might want to look at the Lee case trimmers. They are IMHO easier to use than the Lyman style trimmers, and can be used in a drill if you plan to trim a lot. Cheap, too.

If you are going to load for a .40 or 9mm, check your pistol's rifling to make sure that it is not polygon style rifling ala Glock. If it is that type, you will probably want to avoid lead bullets. They tend to lead up badly even with mild loads.